How to give negative feedback

Here’s how to give feedback to someone you know will take it really badly:

Clear content: Let your words do the work. Imagine that you are a newscaster and that it’s important that people understand. If your counterpart distorts what you say, repeat it.

Neutral tone: Tone is the nonverbal message, the inflection, facial expressions and body language. It’s hard to use a neutral tone when emotions run high. That’s why you need to practice aloud ahead of time.

For example, a team leader can say: “In the first quarter, the team didn’t get the deliverables you committed to on the dates you agreed to. With those omissions, I can’t provide a recommendation for you.”

At the end, say: “Thank you for meeting with me. I wish this had worked out differently.”

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